standa is the posture verb "to stand" — but like English "stand," it stretches far past the body. It is how Icelandic says a thing is located ("the house stands by the sea"), how something is written ("it says in the paper"), and, through its idioms, how you cope or do well (standa sig) and how a test is passed (standast). It is a strong verb with a quirky shape: a nasal -n- sits in the present (stend, standa) but vanishes in the past (stóð). It also triggers u-umlaut in stöndum.
Conjugation
Class: strong, class 6 (ablaut a–ó–a; an extra -n- in the present stem is lost in the past). Auxiliary: hafa — ég hef staðið "I have stood."
| Principal parts | |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | að standa |
| 3sg present | stendur |
| 3sg past | stóð |
| Supine | staðið |
| Person | Present (nútíð) | Past (þátíð) |
|---|---|---|
| ég | stend | stóð |
| þú | stendur | stóðst |
| hann / hún / það | stendur | stóð |
| við | stöndum | stóðum |
| þið | standið | stóðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | standa | stóðu |
| Person | Present subjunctive | Past subjunctive |
|---|---|---|
| ég | standi | stæði |
| þú | standir | stæðir |
| hann / hún / það | standi | stæði |
| við | stöndum | stæðum |
| þið | standið | stæðuð |
| þeir / þær / þau | standi | stæðu |
| Non-finite & imperative | |
|---|---|
| Imperative (þú) | statt! / stattu (with attached pronoun) |
| Imperative (þið) | standið! |
| Supine | staðið |
| Past participle (m/f/n) | staðinn / staðin / staðið |
| Middle voice (miðmynd) | standast (3sg stenst, past stóðst) |
The vowels of standa
The principal parts are stend (present, fronted e), stóð (past singular, long ó with the -n- gone), stóðu (past plural stem), staðið (supine, with ð). The past subjunctive umlauts ó → æ: stæði, stæðu. The "you (sg.)" past is stóðst and the middle-voice present is stenst — both pile consonants together, so say them slowly.
Húsið stendur við sjóinn, rétt hjá höfninni.
The house stands by the sea, right next to the harbour.
Við stöndum hérna og bíðum eftir strætó.
We're standing here waiting for the bus.
Hann stóð lengi fyrir utan og hikaði.
He stood outside for a long time, hesitating.
standa upp — stand up
The phrasal standa upp is the everyday "get to your feet / stand up." (For "stand someone up" on a date, Icelandic uses a different verb — svíkja — so don't transfer the English idiom.)
Allir stóðu upp þegar dómarinn kom inn.
Everyone stood up when the judge came in.
standa sig — cope, do well
A high-frequency idiom: standa sig (with the reflexive sig) means "to do well, to perform, to cope, to hold one's own." Parents say it to children, coaches to players, bosses to staff. Þú stóðst þig vel "you did well."
Hún stóð sig frábærlega í viðtalinu.
She did brilliantly in the interview.
Reyndu bara að standa þig — þú getur þetta.
Just try to do your best — you can do this.
standast — pass, withstand
The middle voice standast means "to pass (a test), to withstand, to hold up." Standast prófið "pass the exam," standast álagið "withstand the pressure." Present stenst, past stóðst (identical in spelling to the active 2sg past — context disambiguates).
Ég stóðst ökuprófið í annarri tilraun.
I passed the driving test on the second attempt.
það stendur í blaðinu — it says in the paper
A usage English speakers never guess: when text says something — in a paper, a book, a sign, a contract — Icelandic uses standa, not segja. Það stendur í blaðinu að… "it says in the paper that…", hvað stendur á skiltinu? "what does the sign say?"
Það stendur í samningnum að uppsögn sé þrír mánuðir.
It says in the contract that the notice period is three months.
Common Mistakes
❌ Við standum hérna.
Incorrect — the 'we' present has u-umlaut: stöndum, not standum
✅ Við stöndum hérna.
We're standing here.
❌ Hann standaði upp.
Incorrect — standa is strong; the past is stóð, never the weak standaði
✅ Hann stóð upp.
He stood up.
❌ Það segir í blaðinu að...
Incorrect — when text 'says' something, Icelandic uses standa: það stendur í blaðinu
✅ Það stendur í blaðinu að...
It says in the paper that…
❌ Ég stóð prófið.
Incorrect — 'pass a test' is the middle voice standast (stóðst), not active stóð
✅ Ég stóðst prófið.
I passed the exam.
Key Takeaways
- standa / stend / stóð / staðið — strong class 6; the -n- of the present (stend, standa) is gone in the past (stóð, stóðum).
- U-umlaut in the "we" present: stöndum (a → ö).
- standa sig = do well / cope; standa upp = stand up.
- standast (middle) = pass / withstand: standast prófið.
- For text that "says" something, use standa: það stendur í blaðinu.
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